Alabama's Stinson knows his way around BCS host stadium

Jan. 5, 2013
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Alabama defensive end Ed Stinson (49) tries to bring down Georgia's Aaron Murray in the SEC Championship. As a high school student, Stinson worked the concession stands at Sun Life Stadium, the BCS Championship host site, as a fundraiser for his high school basketball team. / John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

by Daniel Uthman, USA TODAY Sports

by Daniel Uthman, USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Sun Life Stadium, site of Monday's BCS National Championship game, has a special meaning for Alabama junior Ed Stinson. He grew up in nearby Homestead and rooted hard for the Miami Dolphins and defensive end Jason Taylor as a child.

It also brings back memories - of chicken fingers, peanuts, fountain sodas. Only Stinson wasn't eating them, he was selling them.

Stinson used to work the Sun Life Stadium concession stands as a high school student at South Dade Senior to raise money for the school's basketball team. So even when he was at the stadium, he wasn't really at the game. "Every now and then I'd sneak a peek," Stinson said Saturday as he sat in a corner of the stadium's lower bowl.

As a youth, Stinson focused his football fandom almost exclusively on the Dolphins, saying he didn't root for any college teams. "I did like Florida State, because I liked their uniforms," he said. "That's the reason I committed to Florida State at first."

But he's been at Alabama since 2009, redshirting as a freshman and moving into the starting lineup this season as a defensive end. His 8.5 tackles for loss are second on the team to linebacker Adrian Hubbard.

And though he doesn't work concessions anymore, he does still play basketball, mostly as a power forward and center. "I'll be playing as soon as we get back," he said.